100 year partnership locks British and Ukrainian futures together

In a sign of the dangers facing Ukrainians on a daily basis, reports from Kyiv indicated a Russian drone flying over the city shortly after Sir Keir and President Volodymyr Zelensky laid flowers at a site of remembrance for those killed since the 2022 invasion.

The Prime Minister said the UK would “never let up” on support for Ukraine. Speaking at a hospital, he said: “It’s very important we ensure that Ukraine is in the strongest possible position. That’s something I’ve been arguing for since I was Prime Minister. "This is my seventh meeting with President Zelensky. I’m here at the burns unit of one of the Kyiv hospitals, which is a grim reminder of the heavy price Ukraine is paying.

“So we must give the necessary support, and that’s what I’m discussing with President Zelensky today. We must never let up on that and we’ve been leading the way.”

The partnership deal includes collaboration on maritime security, health and agriculture and will go before Parliament.

Mr Trump’s pick for secretary of state Marco Rubio suggested on Wednesday that both Ukraine and Russia would have to make concessions to end the war.

The Prime Minister and Ukraine's president discussed a proposal for Western peacekeepers to monitor a future ceasefire, but Sir Keir said his current focus was on ensuring Kyiv's forces were in the "strongest possible position" on the battlefield.

Sir Keir said the UK will "play our part" in guaranteeing Ukraine's security following any peace deal, adding: "Let's be clear, we all want this war to end, no-one wants that more than Ukrainians, but right now Putin shows no sign of wanting peace.”

Sir Keir said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war had been a failure, and “one of the consequences of this conflict has been to draw Nato more strongly together”. “It’s bigger and stronger than it has been, and we must stand behind Ukraine for as long as it takes.

“But when we say Ukraine must be in the strongest possible position, that can’t be just words. And that’s why I’ve had such intense discussions with President Zelensky over the months that I’ve been Prime Minister.”

The UK-Ukraine partnership deal will set out co-operation between the countries in an agreement stretching well into the next century.

The agreement will bolster military collaboration on maritime security through a new framework covering the Baltic, Black and Azov Seas to deter Russian aggression.

The partnership, formed of a treaty and a political declaration, will be laid in Parliament in the coming weeks. It will involve co-operation in areas including healthcare and tackling disease, agricultural technology and the space industry.

Downing Street set out details of a £4.5 billion military aid package. The UK has committed £3 billion a year for as long as Ukraine needs it. That will be supplemented with £1.5 billion from a £2.26 billion loan, which will be repaid with profits from frozen Russian assets.